Ailbhe Barrett

Ailbhe Barrett is an award-winning visual artist working across painting and printmaking. Originally from County Limerick and now based in Dublin, she is largely self-taught, having been home-schooled until the age of eighteen. From early on, she dedicated herself fully to painting, developing her skills under the guidance of artists and art professionals.

Primarily a landscape painter working in oils, Barrett has long been drawn to the expansive potential of the large canvas. Her visual language is rooted in a deep engagement with place, atmosphere, and scale. In later years, she expanded her practice to include printmaking, studying at Limerick Printmakers and Graphic Studio Dublin, where she developed a particular interest in etching and carborundum techniques.

As a member of Graphic Studio Dublin, she has made use of one of Ireland’s largest intaglio presses to create ambitious original prints, exploring the dynamic relationship between painting and printmaking. Her recent work is among her most ambitious in terms of scale, incorporating large-format diptychs, triptychs, and polyptychs that push the boundaries of both media.

Barrett has exhibited both nationally and internationally, and continues to evolve a dual practice that draws strength from the interplay between process, material, and image.